It is known in the reference sector to use switches and other types of controls for electrical apparatus which may be wall-mounted.
These switches are typically used in electrical apparatus, which may be domestic or industrial, in order to control lights or other appliances, such as electric blinds, or to open (and close) doors and gates.
The switch is provided with a terminal block to which the electrical cables connected to the apparatus to be controlled are connected and is wall-mounted using an appropriate support, normally box-shaped, secured in a fixed manner to the wall.
In a first type of switch, the apparatus is actuated in an electromechanical manner by acting on a push button which may move between a first position in which an electrical contact is closed and a second position in which the contact is open.
As an alternative to electromechanical switches, control devices are also known which use a contact sensor which, through an appropriate electronic circuit, controls the apparatus in order, for instance, to turn it on or off by touching a specific part of an external contact surface of the device.
The external surface may contain different touch zones, each associated with a specific function of the control device. There may, for instance, be two zones, one above the other, which make it possible to turn a light on or off, reflecting the way in which electromechanical switches are operated.
The external surface is thus made from transparent material, so as to enable the display of graphical symbols disposed below the contact surface which make it possible to identify the specific function associated with contact with the surface portion lying above the symbol.
A plate is typically used in electromechanical switches and is usually shaped as a frame which covers the support and enables it to be fastened to the wall. An electromechanical device is disclosed, for example, in DE 20 2007 004164.
The plate also makes it possible to provide switches with high-quality aesthetic characteristics.
For that reason as well, the plates are secured in a detachable manner to the support so that installation operations may be carried out before they are fitted and so that they can be removed during any operations to maintain the switch or the room in which it is installed.
It is, for instance, very useful to be able to remove the plate when the wall on which the switch is fixed is being painted.
In that respect, it will be appreciated that the removal of the plate is not detrimental to the operation of the control device as it does not perform any operational function.
Some types of contact control devices also comprise a detachable plate but, in such cases, the operation of the device is compromised following the removal of the plate.
The electrical apparatus is in practice controlled by contact with the external surface of the plate itself, and, as a result, the electrical apparatus may continue to operate during the installation and maintenance operations described above.
The technical problem underlying the present invention is one of providing a control device which may be wall-mounted for the control of electrical apparatus which is structurally and functionally designed to remedy all the drawbacks discussed with respect to the cited prior art.